Health Issues
The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy reports that there is little evidence of significant hazard associated with inhalation of alkyl nitrites. A study and ranking of drugs for harmfulness devised by British-government advisers and based upon scientific evidence of harm to both individuals and society showed that poppers pose little potential harm to individuals or to society when compared to other recreational drugs including alcohol and tobacco. A 1983 U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission investigation Briefing Package stated that "Available injury data did not indicate a significant risk of personal injury or illness from room odorizer abuse."
Common side-effects of popper use include headaches, and in some cases temporary erectile problems. Other risks include burns if spilled on skin.
More rarely, acute use of poppers has been associated with asphyxia, arrhythmias, cardiovascular depression, carbon monoxide poisoning, hepatorenal toxicity, mucosal, pulmonary, skin irritation and facial dermatitis. Rarely, the use of poppers can cause methemoglobinemia and hemolysis, especially in individuals predisposed towards such a condition or in overdose. An overdose via ingestion (rather than inhalation) may result in cyanosis, unconsciousness, coma and even death. Methylene blue is a treatment for methemoglobinemia associated with popper use. Accidental aspiration of amyl or butyl nitrites may lead to the development of lipoid pneumonia.
Alkyl nitrites are contraindicative with other vasodilators like sildenafil (Viagra), to cause a serious decrease in blood pressure, leading to fainting, stroke, or heart attack.
Read more about this topic: Poppers
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